Rochester and Lake Erie get underway at the opening face-off during Frozen Frontier outdoor AHL action between the Rochester Americans and the Lake Erie Monsters at Frontier Field on Friday night.
KRIS J. MURANTE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Young hockey players have some fun with a snowball fight with Spikes prior to the Frozen Frontier outdoor AHL action between the Rochester Americans and the Lake Erie Monsters.
KRIS J. MURANTE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Local official Peter Feola, of Irondequoit, heads to the ice surface for Frozen Frontier outdoor AHL action between the Rochester Americans and the Lake Erie Monsters.
KRIS J. MURANTE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A small group of fans assemble at the front gate waiting to enter the Frozen Frontier outdoor AHL action between the Rochester Americans and the Lake Erie Monsters at Frontier Field on Friday.
KRIS J. MURANTE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

More than 11,000 people attended the Rochester Amerks game on Dec. 13, the opening night of the Frozen Frontier.
(Photo: Jamie Germano)

Story Highlights

The harsh winter has prevented sod from being installed

The Red Wings removed the infield grass for its Frozen Frontier event

The home opener against Buffalo is April 5

The Red Wings are counting the minutes until their home opener on April 5 — and the day when they can finally have their field of dreams back.

The Triple-A baseball team pulled the infield grass at Frontier Field in December in preparation for Frozen Frontier, their two-week hockey extravanganza. The plan was to bring in replacement sod by mid-March so it would have time to take root. But the winter that won't end has put that blueprint on hold.

Right now, the infield is strictly a sand base.

"Mother Nature has put us so far behind," general manager Dan Mason said. "We haven't been able to do anything all winter because the ground has been frozen."

Sod was supposed to delivered on Monday from New Jersey, but snow postponed that plan. The team hopes to have the sod cut and placed down by Friday.

"We're ordering it thicker than we normally would in the summer," Mason said. "It will be 1 ½ inch thick and 4 feet wide. It won't take root in time for the opener, but it will be so heavy and thick it won't move around on the players."

The Red Wings' ground crew used industrial coils on the field surface to remove frost. Mason said the sod project should take one day, and he promises the sod story will have a happy ending.

"We wish it was done, but there's nothing you can do," he said. "We'll be ready for Opening Day."